Netanyahu Says Election Outcome Hinges on Few Votes
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the upcoming Israeli Knesset elections are tied and will be decided by a few votes, based on information from abroad. He met with rabbis and was scheduled to meet with settlement leaders and activists in Jerusalem to boost right-wing turnout. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned of a potential government that would evacuate settlements and establish a Palestinian state, vowing to strengthen Israel's Jewish identity and security.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes the upcoming Israeli election is tied and will be decided by a small number of votes.
- Netanyahu received intelligence from abroad confirming the close electoral outcome.
- He met with rabbis and was scheduled to meet with settlement leaders and activists to increase right-wing voter turnout.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned against a potential government that would evacuate settlements.
- The "Yishuv" settlement council head announced unprecedented efforts to mobilize right-wing voters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in closed-door discussions that the upcoming Knesset elections on the 27th of the month are currently tied and will be decided by a narrow margin of votes. Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with rabbis, Netanyahu revealed he had received additional information from abroad confirming the tie, which he believes will be settled by a small number of ballots.
Netanyahu was referring to a close race between his governing coalition and the bloc of opposing Zionist parties, notably led by Gadi Eisenkot, head of the "Yariv" party and former IDF Chief of Staff. Amidst rising political tensions and the ongoing election campaign, Netanyahu met with Zionist rabbis, accompanied by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Yisrael Gantz, head of the "Yishuv" settlement council in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli channel "I24".
Later on Thursday, Netanyahu was scheduled to hold a meeting in Jerusalem with heads of authorities and activists to boost voter turnout for the right-wing bloc. This meeting, initiated by Gantz in cooperation with Smotrich, aims to establish joint operational mechanisms and a coordinated campaign headquarters before the elections.
An event was also expected in Jerusalem later that day, featuring Netanyahu, Smotrich, numerous heads of West Bank settlement councils, and right-wing activists from across the country. Finance Minister Smotrich asserted that the upcoming elections will determine Israel's future, contrasting his bloc with a potential government led by Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, which he claimed would evacuate settlements and establish a "terrorist Palestinian state." Smotrich pledged to strengthen the state's Jewish identity and security.
The head of the "Yishuv" settlement council described the unified efforts as an unprecedented move to mobilize hundreds of thousands of right-wing voters through public figures, aiming for a significant right-wing victory.
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